More than 1,000 stunning cars, from family runarounds to growling supercars hot off the production lines of manufacturers such as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Bugatti.

Unrivalled realism and incredibly detailed graphics take you as close to real racing as is humanly possible.

Series favourites GT Mode, Arcade Mode and Licence Test return, and you can now race in NASCAR and WRC events.

Hit the track in the definitive Gran Turismo 5: Academy Edition, a souped-up version of GT5 packing special updates, extra cars, additional courses and exciting new features.

Take part in GT5: Academy Edition's exclusive, in-game GT Academy Challenge for your chance to win a driving day at the Silverstone Circuit or an all-expenses-paid trip for two to the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2013.

Racing redefined

Gran Turismo 5 has arrived. The most famous driving experience of them all features over 1,000 cars, including the McLaren MP4-12C and the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, and more than 70 tracks from around the world – all presented in stunning stereoscopic 3D.

Tackle legendary circuits across three continents, as you race through central London’s winding streets, Tokyo’s gleaming business district, over the hallowed tarmac of Monza and the Daytona Speedway and many more. The celebrated test track of the BBC motoring show Top Gear even puts in a special guest appearance, rounding off an incredibly varied and realistic set of locations.

Of course, the cars are the stars, and they allow Gran Turismo 5’s world-renowned attention to detail to really shine. Classic sports cars and world-beating rally cars share the vast in-game showroom with one-off concept cars and thoroughbred supercars.

With a spectacular array of vehicles from the likes of Ferrari, Bugatti, Jaguar, Lamborghini and Aston Martin, racing doesn’t get any more realistic than Gran Turismo 5. Enjoy the drive of your life.

Perfectionism, detail, depth

Prepare to radically alter your perception of what a driving game should be. Offering racing in every form imaginable, Gran Turismo 5 puts you at the centre of the motoring universe with a range of modes and events designed to get the petrol pumping through your veins.

Jump straight into fiercely intense races, time trials and drift trials in Arcade Mode or design your own racetracks with the intuitive Course Maker. And, for the definitive Gran Turismo 5 experience, head to GT Mode.

Through the innovative My Home page, the hub of GT Mode, you'll be able to access a series of events and skill-boosting licence tests, as well as your garage, car dealerships and a range of dynamic tuning options. As you complete races and licence tests, you will earn experience points and your driving level will increase, so you can then participate in new races and buy additional cars.

A-Spec Racing sees you competing in a series of tiered events of increasing challenge and prestige. You’ll find yourself at a festival of Japanese micro-cars, trading paint with priceless prototypes, on a starting grid surrounded by howling Italian supercars and much, much more, driving everything from a Mini Cooper S to the Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce ’09. Every car feels unique thanks to an unrivalled vehicle physics engine.

You can also mastermind track domination from the pit lane, thanks to Gran Turismo 5’s B-Spec Racing mode. As team director, you will build a squad of up to six drivers, train them, then take them to the track where you’ll react to whatever the opposition throws at you. And if you’re after something more offbeat, try the Special Events mode where you can race Volkswagen camper vans, 200mph NASCAR racers and even super-karts. The depth of the Gran Turismo series is legendary, but Gran Turismo 5 takes you deeper than ever before.

This is the real driving simulator, only on PlayStation 3.

Community spirit

Up to 16 players are supported in Gran Turismo 5’s thrilling online races, and you’ll also become part of a buzzing online club thanks to My Home’s Community features. Take on all-comers in open lobbies or create race sessions only accessible to those you invite.

Battling via PlayStation Network is perhaps the best way to take in new features like detailed vehicle damage, night racing, weather systems and spark and smoke effects. Community features a simple messaging system that lets you quickly set up private races between you and your friends, with message board posts, mail and in-game photo sharing easily possible.

You can also swap tracks built in Course Maker, and in a clever move you can lend drivers from your B-Spec team to other players so their skills can be honed. By setting your drivers to “public”, they can be called away to races at any time and you can do the same with friends’ computer-controlled drivers.

Simple browsing of friends’ My Home pages lets you compare in-game progress and trophies, and you can set up private lobbies for you and your friends to race, share cars, parts and vital advice. Gran Turismo 5 lets you interact with friends off the track, and settle scores on it.